As an early Christmas present, Supernova Games dropped the first update for Assetto Corsa Rally. A new venue on a new surface, and with a new classic car to boot, it’s certainly something to whet the appetite of sim racing and sim rally fans as we await the next big content drop.
A New Car
The first “new” car for Assetto Corsa Rally is not a current-day machine but rather a classic from rallying’s yesteryears. And, for a first addition to the title, they picked a very good car.
Alpine’s A110 Group 4 not only won the inaugural World Rally Championship event in 1973, but it also locked out the podium and secured 5 of the top 6 spots. It won the Manufacturers’ Championship with 147 points, a whopping 63 points clear of 2nd-placed FIAT with their 124. Which means you can, with the roster available in AC Rally, relive the battles of the 70s.
With 185hp going to the rear wheels, this is a car that you’d often expect to be on slick tyres and powering around a circuit like the Alpines of today. But the Alpine is as successful on the tarmac as it is on the gravel, or the sand, or the snow.
Yes, it won on its debut in the Alpine region it takes its name from. But it also won in Corsica, and on the fast gravel of Portugal and Sanremo, and the rough and tough events of the Acropolis Rally of Greece and Rallye du Maroc, the latter now so intense that it’s a round of the World Rally-Raid Championship.
The New Location
The Alps are always a popular location for a winter escape. And it seems that Supernova Games got the memo on that one. Our first new location brings us snow and ice, and it also brings us a circuit in the foothills of the Italian Alps. Right next to the Swiss border, welcome to the Ghiacciodromo Livigno Circuit.
You might think that a short loop around a ski lodge doesn’t have much in the way of challenges. But that’s where you would be wrong. Each corner has a certain degree of camber that means you have to consider your suspension setup before deciding on your line.
The slight elevation changes throughout the lap mean that you need to consider your ride height to avoid damaging your bumper on the packed snow. Your gear ratios need to be able to handle sweeping corners, bursts of straight lines, and tight hairpins. You need to dial in the car to make the most of it.
A New Surface & Tyres
There’s also the additional challenge of driving on snow and ice, a surface new to Assetto Corsa Rally.
You might think that it’s similar to gravel; both are loose surfaces that reward carrying speed and momentum and punish sudden, uncontrolled changes of direction. In some ways, it’s more extreme, with less grip and less control of the car.
Whilst thinking it is similar, it is also completely different, as you are able to use the edge of the track to gain more grip and lean on the snowbanks to correct your course if you should need it. Those are skills unique to driving on the snow and ice.
Whilst many of these new challenges are made easier by the new Snow tyres, which have thick studs that can dig into the snow and ice to help you find extra grip as well as deeper grooves to make sure that you don’t run out of grip, there are still some unique challenges to driving on the frozen stuff.
As of right now, the snow is unique to the Livigno location in Assetto Corsa Rally. But that’s not to say that there’s not a chance of getting more Winter Wonderlands in the future!
Other New Updates
It’s not just new content that comes with the 0.2 Update. There are quality-of-life updates, as well as other smaller additions to the service.
Some parts of the update include fine-tuning to what is already on offer in AC Rally. This includes updates to the Force Feedback, expanded support for a variety of devices, and updates to handling and physics.
Supernova Games has responded to feedback from the fans and considered it when looking at the next steps. That connection, that shared vision of community for the future, helps to paint a bright future for new sim rally games during the Early Access window.
What’s Next?
We’ve already heard of some of the additions that are coming to the title. In addition to more events being alluded to, the Hyundai i20N Rally2 will be joined by the Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 in the near-future.
The Czech marque’s latest foray into the tier of rallying that they have enjoyed thousands of wins and hundreds of titles in around the world will provide a different approach to rallying’s most competitive formula that is on the market today.
Final Thoughts
The first addition to Assetto Corsa Rally since it arrived on the scene has been a welcome addition to fans, with a new surface and a new car to boot. Not only does it excite fans who are eager to see what’s next for the fledgling rally sim, but it also gives us some hints of the kind of title we can expect once Early Access is complete.
